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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Up next, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood are once again eligible to receive Medicaid dollars.

NICK EICHER, HOST: They stopped receiving federal funds last summer, but lawmakers failed to renew the restriction on them.

WORLD’s Lauren Canterberry has the story.

LAUREN CANTERBERRY: About three miles down the road from the Planned Parenthood of Sioux City, Iowa, Her Health Women’s Center offers women facing unplanned pregnancies options besides abortion. Executive Director Kristi Nathaniel says she and her staff are keenly aware of its presence.

KRISTI NATHANIEL: We pray for them every Wednesday and the reason we do Wednesdays is because that used to be when the abortion days were here. But we pray that truth will be revealed to them—right?—that they will see truth, they will honor life.

Those prayers have continued even after Planned Parenthood closed the facility last year. It was one of four shuttered in Iowa, and one of the 54 closed nationwide.

Two factors led to the closures: first, federal officials froze Title X funds to the organization. Then, what was known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act prohibited abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funds for a year. That took effect last July.

But when the provision expired this Independence Day, Planned Parenthood once again became eligible for federal money. Under federal law, the organization can only use the money for services other than abortions but pro-lifers say that requirement is difficult to monitor.

Kelsey Pritchard is the communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

KELSEY PRITCHARD: There’s no way to separate Planned Parenthood from abortion. It’s all fungible. If they have this money coming in they can use it for all sorts of things.

Planned Parenthood says abortions only account for about 4.4% of its yearly services, while contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections make up nearly 80%. Still, in its most recent annual report the organization reported killing more than 434,000 babies in one year–a record.

Planned Parenthood claims that its nearly 600 facilities provide critical reproductive healthcare, especially in rural areas. The group pointed to the loss of federal funding as the primary reason for their closures. But Pritchard said many of them were already struggling. More women now buy abortion drugs online and Planned Parenthood has been the focus of reports about a variety of problems across the organization.

PRITCHARD: I think we were all bracing ourselves for the horror stories of “oh, I couldn’t go to my Planned Parenthood and this happened.” There weren’t any stories like that. There hasn’t been any big outcry.

The pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute estimates that for every Planned Parenthood there are about 15 community health clinics fully equipped to serve low income and rural patients. And Pritchard says those clinics offer better and more comprehensive care.

Back in Sioux City, Nathaniel says local health clinics and the pregnancy center have stepped up services to fill any gaps.

NATHANIEL: I’m sure some people do miss Planned Parenthood, but I don’t think we’ve seen that them closing did devastating results.

She says the organization still markets to women in the area and refers them to nearby states with weaker pro-life protections.

NATHANIEL: I hope Planned Parenthood doesn’t reopen just because they are getting Medicaid dollars. If they do, then we pray for them. We should be praying already.

It remains unclear if any of the closed facilities will reopen, or if the abortion group will expand its offerings now that Medicaid funds are back on the table.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Lauren Canterberry.

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